Poor Canadians...

[silvrstrfx]

Ok, I was randomly reading the Ebay dreams sweepstakes rules and I noticed this, under #5:

"Before being awarded any prize, winners who are residents of Canada will be required to correctly answer (unaided) a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question."

What?! Why?!?! Does anyone know why there would be something so random and ridiculous in the rules? Are they trying to be funny? Or is this some legal thing that I don't know about?

And let me just say that I am so glad I don't live in Canada because I stink at math!!!

 

[Adventuredaz]

Fox I can't recall specificly. But it is a legal aspect to bring the contest into cmpliance with their Laws. I am sure someone knows what the deal is something like our rules on lottery vs. Sweepstakes, except with us it requires no purchase necessary is an option among other things.

Here is what I found:

The combined effect of Sections 197 to 206 of the Canadian Criminal Code bans for-profit gaming or betting, with exceptions made for provincial lotteries, and licensed casinos and charity events. Many stores, radio stations, and other groups still wish to hold contests to encourage more purchases or increase consumer interest. … These organizations take advantage of the fact that the law does allow prizes to be given for games of skill, or mixed games of skill and chance. In order to make the chance-based contests legal, such games generally have mathematical skill-testing questions incorporated.

So the math question is a way to get the contest reclassified as a game that “mixes skill and chance.” In other words, it’s a loophole1 in the Canadian law against illegal lotteries!

Of course, it seems the Canadian high court can be as pragmatic as ours:

The most common form that these questions take is as an arithmetic exercise. A court decision ruled that these must contain at least three operations to actually be skill testing; for example, a common question might be “(2 × 4) + (10 × 3)” (Answer: 38). Enforcement of these rules is not very stringent, and especially for small prizes, the player may not be required to answer the skill-testing question to claim a prize. Anecdotally, getting the answer wrong is also often not an obstacle to claiming a prize.

So it is as I thought...there are three elements to a lottery: Chance, Consideration, and a prize. Here In the US the just remove the Consideration (no purchase necessary) In Canada they do that as well as remove the chance (sort of) with the math it now is a game of skill not chance even though the winner is still randomly selected.

 

[Disney Dreams]

All i can imagine is that it has to have something to do with taxes.....

 

[Chedstro]

ROFl. CDNMickey seems to be having no problems at all, she has the shirt, and lots of other stuff

 

[Sparkle_Cherry]

Are you kidding me? I hope it's not something totally difficult, I got 97% in math last year, but this year I'm really struggling.

~C.B.

 

[Belle1997]

Well being Canadian we always have to do math. That is why I secretly hope I do not win the big prizes. What inhumane stress that would be. I would panick so bad even if they said 10- 10 = I would think it was a trick question

Can you imagine winning and getting the math question wrong oh the pain of even thinking about it.

 

[Motherofafae]

Well being Canadian we always have to do math. That is why I secretly hope I do not win the big prizes. What inhumane stress that would be. I would panick so bad even if they said 10- 10 = I would think it was a trick question

Can you imagine winning and getting the math question wrong oh the pain of even thinking about it.

OMG... I was laughing so hard at what you posted!! too funny!

 

[mousy_in_canada]

We don't pay taxes on anything we win. We just have a very short math question. They usually say somthing like 10 x 5 - 10 = ? and they give you as long as you need.
You can grab a calculator if you need it but I would rather answer a math question then pay any taxes!
if the choice is math now or math later on your taxes I would take the math now